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If you are a manager or small-business owner, then you have probably heard about management or leadership styles. As more business gurus write and speak about this issue, more managers are looking to find their perfect management style, one that will boost morale, productivity, and, ultimately, sales. While being conscious of your management style is important, being a good manager does not mean finding one style to use infinitely, but adopting different styles that help you elevate rather than devalue employees.

Flexible Management Styles

According to "The Wall Street Guide to Management" by Alan Murray, effective managers are those who operate using six key leadership styles: visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and commanding. Managers must know what situations call for each management style. When they use the correct management style for the situation, managers can elevate their employees. For example, managers who choose a coaching style with struggling but promising new employees are likely to encourage them. When managers use the wrong management style for the situation, they are likely to devalue employees. For example, a manager who used a commanding style with struggling but promising new employees would devalue the employees' potential and possibly send them away.

Collaborative Management Styles

When employers work with their employees, seek their opinions, and trust them to make decisions, they elevate employees' moral and make them more likely to be productive. According to management author Brian Tracy, criticism and mistrust can lead to a workplace where employees are so preoccupied with a fear of getting fired that they cannot put forth their best efforts. To reduce fear and mistrust, managers can include employees in key decisions, operate transparently, and encourage employees to talk openly -- without punishment -- about the mistakes they have made.

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Delegating Management Styles

Even managers who include others in decisions may be tempted to complete most work themselves. Managers who do most of an organization's work on their own rather than delegating not only get overwhelmed easily, but also contribute to a culture of fear and mistrust within the organization. Managers who do work that should be the employees' responsibilities send the message that they do not trust the employees to complete the tasks, devaluing employees. Managers who delegate tasks elevate employees by showing them that management trusts them to do the work and do it well.

Positive Management Styles

Managers set the tone of the work environment. Their attitude toward work and customers, and the way they react in crises, play important roles in determining how other employees act in these circumstances. For this reason, positive managers are more likely than negative managers to elevate employees and increase productivity. Managers who view the work situation positively, who are excited about the company and industry, can infect their workers with their excitement, making the employees feel like a valued part of something larger. Negative managers, on the other hand, can make even employees who were originally excited about their work doubt its importance and their value.

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About the Author

Miranda Morley is an educator, business consultant and owner of a copywriting/social-media management company. Her work has been featured in the "Boston Literary Magazine," "Subversify Magazine" and "American Builder's Quarterly." Morley has a B.A. in English, political science and international relations. She is completing her M.A. in rhetoric and composition from Purdue University Calumet.